Week in images: 6 - 10 December 2021
Friday, 10 December 2021 13:15
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Week in images: 6 - 10 December 2021
Discover our week through the lens
Virgin Orbit adds Spire satellite to next launch
Friday, 10 December 2021 11:15 Write a comment
Virgin Orbit will fly a Spire cubesat in addition to several other payloads on its next LauncherOne launch, scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 22.
Successful and diverse harvest in darkness and eternal ice
Friday, 10 December 2021 10:31 Write a comment
Jess Bunchek, the NASA guest scientist at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) EDEN ISS greenhouse, is nearing the end of her mission in Antarctica. Bunchek has been living and working as a member of the 41st overwintering expedition at the German Neumayer III Station, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research How TIMED Flies
Friday, 10 December 2021 10:31 Write a comment
Launched in 2001, NASA's TIMED mission has now spent 20 years surveying the complicated dynamics of Earth's upper atmosphere. Short for Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics, TIMED observes the chemistry and dynamics where Earth's atmosphere meets space. On its 20th anniversary, the scientific community is reflecting on what they've learned from TIMED's two decades of oper Mexico joins Artemis Accords
Friday, 10 December 2021 10:28 Write a comment
The government of Mexico announced Dec. 9 that it is signing the U.S.-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for space exploration.
Contract signed to build Scout CubeMAP
Friday, 10 December 2021 09:07 Write a comment
ESA has signed a contract with GomSpace to build the Scout CubeMAP mission. Embracing the concept of New Space, CubeMAP is a trio of nanosatellites to help quantify atmospheric processes in the upper atmosphere and how they impact our climate. The constellation will measure water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide and aerosols – all of which play a key role in the greenhouse effect and climate change.
Science with Webb: the nearby cosmos
Friday, 10 December 2021 09:00 Write a comment
Video:
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The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) is designed to answer fundamental questions about the Universe.
One of Webb’s key science goals is to study the nearby cosmos: uncovering hidden parts of our Solar System, peering inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming, and revealing the composition of exoplanets in more detail.
Exoplanets
Thanks to its powerful capabilities at infrared wavelengths, Webb will offer a unique view of the outer planets in our own magnificent Solar System. Looking beyond, Webb will study in detail the atmospheres of a wide diversity of exoplanets.
Webb can study exoplanets as
China sends classified Shijian satellites into orbit with milestone Long March launch
Friday, 10 December 2021 08:34 Write a comment
A Long March 4B launched the Shijian-06 (05) group of satellites Dec. 9, marking the 400th launch of China’s Long March family of launch vehicles.
Earth from Space: Fairbanks, Alaska
Friday, 10 December 2021 08:00 Write a comment
The city of Fairbanks, the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and its surroundings, are featured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image.
James Webb Space Telescope moved to meet its rocket
Friday, 10 December 2021 07:36 Write a comment
On Dec. 7, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope was transferred to the final assembly building at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana to meet its Ariane 5 launch vehicle.
Stowed inside a special transport container and mobile clean room, Webb's vitals were meticulously monitored throughout the entire process of moving between buildings.
The Ariane 5 rocket Webb will ride to space was moved to the same building on Nov. 29. Here, adjustable platforms allow engineers to access the launch vehicle and its payload.
The next steps ahead are to safely lift Webb to an upper platform which has been prepared so that Webb can be connected to the Ariane 5's upper stage. After being connected to the rocket, technicians will move forward to encapsulate Webb inside Ariane 5's specially adapted fairing.
In preparation for a Dec. 22 launch, ground teams have already successfully completed the delicate operation of loading the spacecraft with the propellant it will use to steer itself while in space.
Astronaut applicants thanked as ESA contacts all candidates
Friday, 10 December 2021 07:09 Write a comment
Applicants to ESA’s astronaut selection are being thanked for their patience as thousands of acceptance or rejection notifications are distributed to candidates across Europe.
Five things to know about the James Webb Space Telescope
Friday, 10 December 2021 06:28 Write a comment
The James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful space observatory ever built, is finally set for launch in late December after decades of waiting.
An engineering marvel, it will help answer fundamental questions about the Universe, peering back in time 13 billion years. Here are five things to know.
Giant gold mirror
The telescope's centerpiece is its enormous primary mirror, a concave structure 21.5 feet (6.5 meters) wide and made up of 18 smaller hexagonal mirrors. They're made from beryllium coated with gold, optimized for reflecting infrared light from the far reaches of the universe.
The observatory also has four scientific instruments, which together fulfill two main purposes: imaging cosmic objects, and spectroscopy—breaking down light into separate wavelengths to study the physical and chemical properties of cosmic matter.
Rocket Lab launches 109th satellite to orbit
Friday, 10 December 2021 06:18 Write a comment
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has successfully deployed two satellites to orbit for real-time geospatial intelligence company BlackSky, bringing the total number of satellites deployed by Rocket Lab to 109.
The 'A Data With Destiny' mission, arranged for BlackSky through global launch services provider Spaceflight Inc., was Electron's 23rd liftoff from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's M Spire Global selects Virgin Orbit for late-load addition to next flight
Friday, 10 December 2021 06:18 Write a comment
Leading launch company Virgin Orbit, which has announced a planned business combination with special purpose acquisition company NextGen Acquisition Corp. II, has announced alongside space-based data and analytics provider Spire Global, Inc. that they have received waiver approval from the Federal Aviation Authority to include Spire on Virgin Orbit's upcoming launch. The satellite, which was int Redwire announces supplier agreement with Terran Orbital to support satellite manufacturing
Friday, 10 December 2021 06:18 Write a comment
Redwire Corporation, a global leader in mission critical space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, has announced a three-year supplier agreement with Terran Orbital, a global leader and pioneer in the development, innovation and operation of small satellites and Earth observation solutions.
Through this agreement, Redwire will deliver a range of advanced components and so